I can work because I breastfeed!
The Story of Elvira L. Henares-Esguerra, MD, FPDS, FABM, IBCLC, RPh
(August 2006)
By Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, IBCLC
Women say that they cannot breastfeed because they are working outside the home. Dr. Elvira L. Henares-Esguerra, a dermatologist says otherwise. “I can work because I breastfeed!” she quips.
“When my first two children were born, I was not able to breastfeed them as much as I wanted to. They were given glucose water in the hospital.” she relates. “When I got home and my babies refused to breastfeed on my cracked nipples, there was strong family pressure to bottle-feed them. I was able to breastfeed my children for only two months and it was not even exclusive breastfeeding,” she regretfully states.
She was training to be a dermatologist in Makati Medical Center during this time and this kept her away from home most of the time. There were instances when her mother, who took care of her children would frantically call the hospital and ask Elvira to come home because her daughter was constipated and was constantly crying when she could not move her bowels. This is so common among bottle-fed babies.
The doctor realized another problem when during her swimming lessons, Angeli’, her only daughter got scared of being alone in the pool. Instead of calling her, the child wailed for her yaya. “It was very painful to realize that my daughter was seeking comfort from someone else,” the doctor recounts.
“After my residency, I decided to stay home and bond with my daughter and my son Gabriel. I said to myself, a successful career would be meaningless if my children were not close to me.” When she got pregnant with her second son Larry after three miscarriages, she told herself that God answered her prayers to give her a child just so she can fulfill her dream of breastfeeding. She made sure that her household would support this dream. She made them go to ARUGAAN (Filipino word that means “to nurture fully”), a daycare for babies and toddlers at the workplace, during the whole summer vacation. They were taught how to take care of babies, change their diapers and play with the infants. Best of all, they were taught how to support a breastfeeding mother. They attended lectures on breastfeeding and traditional massage at the daycare. “My son even knows how to express breastmilk using the hand,” she proudly states.
When Dr. Elvira gave birth, Angeli’ assisted her in positioning her brother Larry during breastfeeding. “Angeli’ told her Papa that it was enough that their father spent many sleepless nights taking care of them. She said it is now her turn to help Mama take care of her brother,” Dr. Elvira says with a smile.
She was so empowered and inspired with her breastfeeding experience that she became very active in breastfeeding advocacy. “I felt I had to learn a lot on how to promote, support and protect breastfeeding so I decided to attend several international conferences through Arugaan”.
“I even brought my whole family to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a conference on Global Initiative on Mother Support (GIMS) in 2002”. Her ten-year old son Gabriel was a speaker in a workshop titled “From Boys to Men: The Male Role in Mother Support” where he related how he and his sister supported their mom in breastfeeding. It was a family team effort as her husband assisted their son with his PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Elvira and Angeli’ took turns in recording it in a video and taking care of Larry. The audience was so impressed with their presentation that they asked Gabriel to deliver it again during the conference plenary where the family was given a standing ovation.
In Tanzania, Africa, her son Larry became the youngest delegate in the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action’s (WABA) Global Forum on Breastfeeding where we interacted with lactation experts. In this forum, Dr. Elvira again shared her family’s experience in mother support. She also made use of her creativity by acting in a pantomime depicting the problems of working women and bottle-feeding. It was during this international event that her son Gabriel along with her family was nominated to WABA’s Hall of Fame.
During these trips, Dr. Elvira saw how it was so easy to travel with a breastfeeding baby in tow. Her son Larry was so calm unlike bottle-fed babies who were crying during the flight. “There was one particular baby who was so upset because of his severe skin allergy that he kept on crying. His mother did not know what to do to pacify him. “I tried to assist her as a dermatologist but I thought to myself that this could have been avoided if her child was breastfed,” she realized.
Dr. Elvira attended two conferences in USA and India and she decided to leave Larry behind. “I was away for a month in each of these conferences and when I came back, my son just kept staring at me, probably wondering why I disappeared. He was initially disoriented. Inside the car, I showed him my breast and without any hesitation, he immediately breastfed. It was so touching!,” the doctor gushes. “I felt the strong bond between me and my baby. Nothing can ever sever that bond.”
Back in the Philippines, Dr. Elvira and I, her breastfeeding counselor at that time, set-up a Breastfeeding Clinic for indigent patients at the Makati Medical Center where we inspire couples to breastfeed, teaching them techniques and informing them of the hazards of bottle-feeding both to the mother and to her child’s health. “We teach husbands how to pamper their wives, how to cook for them, massage their backs and to be gentle with them especially during this vulnerable stage of pregnancy. We also teach them that breastmilk can be preserved so it is possible to combine breastfeeding and work. The mother needs a lot of support for breastfeeding, especially from her husband,” the doctor emphasizes.
Now that Dr. Elvira is back to her dermatology practice, she sometimes brings Larry to her clinic. “My son is so friendly to my patients. He wears a doctor’s coat and he even helps in closing the canister lids of my medicines. He is almost five now and I still breastfeed him,” Dr. Elvira says confidently.
As a dermatologist, Dr. Elvira also uses breastmilk to heal skin diseases. “I have some patients who are pregnant and I am very careful in prescribing them medications. Besides, they don’t want to take it anyway. I refer them to breastfeeding mothers that our Breastfeeding Clinic has helped and they get breastmilk from them to put on their skin. The itch disappears instantly!” the doctor exclaims.
Stress can lower one’s immune system and people become more prone to illnesses including allergies because of this. “I encourage them to eat a non-allergenic diet and a clinic staff gives them a healing massage to relax them,” Dr. Elvira explains.
Many mothers are stressed at work and when they go home, their children’s way of getting their attention can add to their already stressful day. On the other hand, Larry hardly has tantrums because the minute he starts to cry, Dr. Elvira calms him down in seconds by breastfeeding. When he hurts himself like any child who is so active, breastfeeding soothes both her and Larry.
“This is because the act of breastfeeding produces endomorphines in children while the oxytocin circulates in the mother’s body. These hormones relax both mother and child,” Dr. Elvira explains.
“I really advise mothers to breastfeed their children. It is so relaxing for me to end a very busy day of working and doing advocacy activities, by going home to my husband and children and breastfeeding my son Larry, “the doctor stated looking so fulfilled and happy.
To further support mothers to breastfeed, Dr. Elvira and I started a program called Children and Youth Action for Breastfeeding. “We now promote breastfeeding to school children through school tours and teachers’ trainings on how to integrate breastfeeding in the school curriculum. Breastfeeding is not only food, medicine and love. It also addresses the issues of economy, ecology, empowerment and faith.” Children are taught how to perform the Seven Acts of Kindness to support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Dr. Elvira and I passed a rigid exam in 2004 and are now International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). It is a profession that supports mothers to breastfeed and is an accreditation that is recognized by the National US Commission on Certifying Agencies since 1988. It is an important part of the healthcare team in all European hospitals, in many hospitals in the USA, Japan, Australia and Canada. There are only three IBCLCs in the Philippines today. In Korea, they have 398 IBCLCs and more than two thousand practice this profession in Australia.
To sustain the organization’s activities, we will hold birthing and natural parenting classes that include pregnancy and natural childbirth, natural healing, infant and young child feeding and care, natural family planning and massage to facilitate birthing and breastfeeding. “We hope to share our beautiful parenting experiences to new parents.” said the doctor.
“We are calling all breastfeeding mothers or those who have breastfed their children to contact us so we can train them to be breastfeeding counselors. We want to establish a career that will enhance motherhood, a career that will empower mothers because they will realize the body’s tremendous capacity to nurture, heal and regenerate” the doctor states with determination. Truly, this is a job that would give the mothers the confidence to say, “I can work because I breastfeed!”
Dr. Esguerra, a dermatologist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant holds clinic at Makati Medical Center and Medical Plaza Ortigas.
For more information on our family counseling or natural parenting classes: please call The Breastfeeding Clinic at (632) 218-7777 or text GLOBE +63915-399-9992 and SMART +63998-998-9953
“When my first two children were born, I was not able to breastfeed them as much as I wanted to. They were given glucose water in the hospital.” she relates. “When I got home and my babies refused to breastfeed on my cracked nipples, there was strong family pressure to bottle-feed them. I was able to breastfeed my children for only two months and it was not even exclusive breastfeeding,” she regretfully states.
She was training to be a dermatologist in Makati Medical Center during this time and this kept her away from home most of the time. There were instances when her mother, who took care of her children would frantically call the hospital and ask Elvira to come home because her daughter was constipated and was constantly crying when she could not move her bowels. This is so common among bottle-fed babies.
The doctor realized another problem when during her swimming lessons, Angeli’, her only daughter got scared of being alone in the pool. Instead of calling her, the child wailed for her yaya. “It was very painful to realize that my daughter was seeking comfort from someone else,” the doctor recounts.
“After my residency, I decided to stay home and bond with my daughter and my son Gabriel. I said to myself, a successful career would be meaningless if my children were not close to me.” When she got pregnant with her second son Larry after three miscarriages, she told herself that God answered her prayers to give her a child just so she can fulfill her dream of breastfeeding. She made sure that her household would support this dream. She made them go to ARUGAAN (Filipino word that means “to nurture fully”), a daycare for babies and toddlers at the workplace, during the whole summer vacation. They were taught how to take care of babies, change their diapers and play with the infants. Best of all, they were taught how to support a breastfeeding mother. They attended lectures on breastfeeding and traditional massage at the daycare. “My son even knows how to express breastmilk using the hand,” she proudly states.
When Dr. Elvira gave birth, Angeli’ assisted her in positioning her brother Larry during breastfeeding. “Angeli’ told her Papa that it was enough that their father spent many sleepless nights taking care of them. She said it is now her turn to help Mama take care of her brother,” Dr. Elvira says with a smile.
She was so empowered and inspired with her breastfeeding experience that she became very active in breastfeeding advocacy. “I felt I had to learn a lot on how to promote, support and protect breastfeeding so I decided to attend several international conferences through Arugaan”.
“I even brought my whole family to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a conference on Global Initiative on Mother Support (GIMS) in 2002”. Her ten-year old son Gabriel was a speaker in a workshop titled “From Boys to Men: The Male Role in Mother Support” where he related how he and his sister supported their mom in breastfeeding. It was a family team effort as her husband assisted their son with his PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Elvira and Angeli’ took turns in recording it in a video and taking care of Larry. The audience was so impressed with their presentation that they asked Gabriel to deliver it again during the conference plenary where the family was given a standing ovation.
In Tanzania, Africa, her son Larry became the youngest delegate in the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action’s (WABA) Global Forum on Breastfeeding where we interacted with lactation experts. In this forum, Dr. Elvira again shared her family’s experience in mother support. She also made use of her creativity by acting in a pantomime depicting the problems of working women and bottle-feeding. It was during this international event that her son Gabriel along with her family was nominated to WABA’s Hall of Fame.
During these trips, Dr. Elvira saw how it was so easy to travel with a breastfeeding baby in tow. Her son Larry was so calm unlike bottle-fed babies who were crying during the flight. “There was one particular baby who was so upset because of his severe skin allergy that he kept on crying. His mother did not know what to do to pacify him. “I tried to assist her as a dermatologist but I thought to myself that this could have been avoided if her child was breastfed,” she realized.
Dr. Elvira attended two conferences in USA and India and she decided to leave Larry behind. “I was away for a month in each of these conferences and when I came back, my son just kept staring at me, probably wondering why I disappeared. He was initially disoriented. Inside the car, I showed him my breast and without any hesitation, he immediately breastfed. It was so touching!,” the doctor gushes. “I felt the strong bond between me and my baby. Nothing can ever sever that bond.”
Back in the Philippines, Dr. Elvira and I, her breastfeeding counselor at that time, set-up a Breastfeeding Clinic for indigent patients at the Makati Medical Center where we inspire couples to breastfeed, teaching them techniques and informing them of the hazards of bottle-feeding both to the mother and to her child’s health. “We teach husbands how to pamper their wives, how to cook for them, massage their backs and to be gentle with them especially during this vulnerable stage of pregnancy. We also teach them that breastmilk can be preserved so it is possible to combine breastfeeding and work. The mother needs a lot of support for breastfeeding, especially from her husband,” the doctor emphasizes.
Now that Dr. Elvira is back to her dermatology practice, she sometimes brings Larry to her clinic. “My son is so friendly to my patients. He wears a doctor’s coat and he even helps in closing the canister lids of my medicines. He is almost five now and I still breastfeed him,” Dr. Elvira says confidently.
As a dermatologist, Dr. Elvira also uses breastmilk to heal skin diseases. “I have some patients who are pregnant and I am very careful in prescribing them medications. Besides, they don’t want to take it anyway. I refer them to breastfeeding mothers that our Breastfeeding Clinic has helped and they get breastmilk from them to put on their skin. The itch disappears instantly!” the doctor exclaims.
Stress can lower one’s immune system and people become more prone to illnesses including allergies because of this. “I encourage them to eat a non-allergenic diet and a clinic staff gives them a healing massage to relax them,” Dr. Elvira explains.
Many mothers are stressed at work and when they go home, their children’s way of getting their attention can add to their already stressful day. On the other hand, Larry hardly has tantrums because the minute he starts to cry, Dr. Elvira calms him down in seconds by breastfeeding. When he hurts himself like any child who is so active, breastfeeding soothes both her and Larry.
“This is because the act of breastfeeding produces endomorphines in children while the oxytocin circulates in the mother’s body. These hormones relax both mother and child,” Dr. Elvira explains.
“I really advise mothers to breastfeed their children. It is so relaxing for me to end a very busy day of working and doing advocacy activities, by going home to my husband and children and breastfeeding my son Larry, “the doctor stated looking so fulfilled and happy.
To further support mothers to breastfeed, Dr. Elvira and I started a program called Children and Youth Action for Breastfeeding. “We now promote breastfeeding to school children through school tours and teachers’ trainings on how to integrate breastfeeding in the school curriculum. Breastfeeding is not only food, medicine and love. It also addresses the issues of economy, ecology, empowerment and faith.” Children are taught how to perform the Seven Acts of Kindness to support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Dr. Elvira and I passed a rigid exam in 2004 and are now International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). It is a profession that supports mothers to breastfeed and is an accreditation that is recognized by the National US Commission on Certifying Agencies since 1988. It is an important part of the healthcare team in all European hospitals, in many hospitals in the USA, Japan, Australia and Canada. There are only three IBCLCs in the Philippines today. In Korea, they have 398 IBCLCs and more than two thousand practice this profession in Australia.
To sustain the organization’s activities, we will hold birthing and natural parenting classes that include pregnancy and natural childbirth, natural healing, infant and young child feeding and care, natural family planning and massage to facilitate birthing and breastfeeding. “We hope to share our beautiful parenting experiences to new parents.” said the doctor.
“We are calling all breastfeeding mothers or those who have breastfed their children to contact us so we can train them to be breastfeeding counselors. We want to establish a career that will enhance motherhood, a career that will empower mothers because they will realize the body’s tremendous capacity to nurture, heal and regenerate” the doctor states with determination. Truly, this is a job that would give the mothers the confidence to say, “I can work because I breastfeed!”
Dr. Esguerra, a dermatologist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant holds clinic at Makati Medical Center and Medical Plaza Ortigas.
For more information on our family counseling or natural parenting classes: please call The Breastfeeding Clinic at (632) 218-7777 or text GLOBE +63915-399-9992 and SMART +63998-998-9953
